Pelt fleshing instrument



Dec. 27, 1949 R. w. PORTEOUS EELIT FLESHING INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 20, 1947 INVENTOQ 05507." fl/gapzzow N EYS ATT Patented Dec. 27, 1949 UNIT-En STATES PATENT. OFFICE Robert W-.-Porteous, New WestminstenBritis Columbia, Canada..

Application .Octoberfiil, 12m, Serial Na'usassz' In Canada August.1l,j1947 Claims. (01. 6.9-.20) f lhis invention relates to pelt fleshing instruments.

Another object is the provision of an. instrument for removing surplus. flesh from animal pelts without cutting or tearing the pelts.

A further object is the provision of a pelt fleshing instrument having blades which may be adjusted for different types of pelt.

Yet another object is the provision of a deviceof the nature described which is considerably faster and more "efficient than the old handscrapingmethodand which is very easy to operate.

With the above and other objects in View, the present invention consists essentially of a pelt fleshing instrument comprising a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt may project, a plurality of blades rotatably mounted in the casing, said blades scraping the pelt when rotated, and a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a fieshing beam,

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the fieshing instrument,

Figure 3 is a rear view of the instrument, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of the cutting blades removed from the instrument.

Referring to Figure 1, I0 is a fleshing beam which projects horizontally from a suitable support and tapers to a nose I I. This beam is transversely rotatable about a supporting shaft l2. With most small animals, the pelt is not slit longitudinally so that it comes off more or less in tubular form and turned inside out. The pelt is then pulled on to the fleshing beam and clamped there in any suitable manner. A beam of this nature is made for each particular type of pelt so that a pelt pulled thereon is stretched fairly tightly. The instrument described below is designed to remove any flesh adhering to the pelt.

The pelt fieshing instrument consists of a casing I6 which is preferably, although not necessarily, cylindrical in shape. The casing has suitably shaped handles l1 projecting outwardly from the opposite ends thereof, and it has an inlet opening I 8 formed in the bottom thereof. A plurality of blades 20 are rotatably mounted in the casing and are adapted to be rotated therein to scrape the surface of a pelt which is projected into the opening I8.

A block EI-in-the casing Iii-is mountedon a shaft -22 extending longitudinally of the casing and through thehandles ll. This shaft is rotata'bl-y supported by suitable bearings, and it projects outwardly beyond the end of one of the handles I! where it is adapted to be connected in any suitable manner to a flexible drive, shown at 23. Each blade 2il-has parallel elongated slots 26 adjacent-its opposite ends; through which set screws 2 extend and screwinto .theblock 2 i-. Each blade'is adjustably heldin'position by the set. screws 23, and it projects fromalong-itudinal corner 28 of the block. Each-blade is-formed with a dull concave edge 29 at the side thereof which is projected beyond the block.

A discharge opening 32 is formed in the casing It at a point spaced from the inlet opening it. This discharge opening is preferably located at a point approximately from the inlet opening, and a discharge chute 33 extends outwardly from said discharge opening. This chute preferably extends outwardly from the casing l6 and curves towards one end thereof, the outer end of the chute being turned downwardly, as at 34.

A pelt is diagrammatically illustrated at 36 on the fieshing beam It in Figure 3. In use, the instrument is grasped by the handles l1 and drawn along the pelt on the beam. The inlet opening I 8 is placed over the pelt so that the latter projects partly into the casing I6 where the concave edges 29 of the blades 23 come into contact therewith. These blades scrape the inner surface of the pelt, and as they are dull, they do not cut or tear it. The blades are shaped so that they come into contact with a relatively large area of the pelt each time the instrument is drawn over it. The flesh removed from the pelt is ejected through the discharge opening 32 and the chute 33 directs it downwardly to one side of the fleshing beam.

The blades are rotating fairly fast so that it only takes a few strokes of the instrument over the pelt completely to clean it. The fleshing beam may be transversely rotated so that the operation takes very little time or effort.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A pelt fleshing instrument comprising a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt may project, a plurality of blades rotatably mounted in the casing, each blade having a dull concave edge, and said blades bein adapted to scrape the pelt when rotated, and a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening.

2. A pelt fieshing instrument to be used with a fieshing beam comprising a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt on a beam may project, a plurality of blades rotatably and adjustably mounted in the casing, each blade having a dull concave edge, and said blades being adapted to scrape the pelt when rotated, and a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening.

3. A pelt fieshing instrument comprisin a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt may project, a block rotatably mounted in the casing, a plurality of blades mounted on the block and projecting from the longitudinal corners thereof, said blades scraping the pelt when rotated, a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening, and a discharge chute extending outwardly from the discharge opening.

4. A pelt i'leshing instrument comprising a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt may project, a block rotatably mounted in the casing, a shaft extending from one end of the block through the end of the casing, said shaft being adapted to be connected to a flexible drive, a plurality of blades adjustably mounted on the block and projecting from the longitudinal corners thereof, said blades scraping the pelt when rotated, a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening, and a discharge chute extending outwardly from the discharge opening.

5. A pelt fieshing instrument to be used with a fleshing beam comprising a casing having an inlet opening therein through which the inner surface of a pelt on a beam may project, a handle on each end of the casing, a block rotatably mounted in the casing, a shaft extending from one end of the block through the casing to one of the handles, said shaft bein adapted to be connected to a flexible drive, a plurality of blades adjustably mounted on the block and projecting from the longitudinal corners thereof, and each blade having a dull concave edge, and said blades being adapted to scrape the pelt when rotated, a discharge opening in the casing spaced from the inlet opening, and a discharge chute extending outwardly from the discharge opening.

ROBERT W. PORTEOUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date v 1,591,860 McGinnis July 6, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 13,592 Great Britain of 1915 640,142 France Mar. 24, 1928 

